#NeverForget: Women warn vs. historical amnesia over Marcos

November 21, 2016

By GABRIELA

Militant women organizations vow unrelenting protests in the wake of the sneaky hero’s burial for the long-dead dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as they prepare for the annual worldwide observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) on November 25.

“The memories of our women martyrs and victims of human rights violations have been insulted and desecrated by the sudden decision of the Duterte administration to stealthily bury Marcos’ remains in the Heroes’ Cemetery last week. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we rise again to rally our people to never forget history and carry on with the struggle to end the abuse of women and the Motherland,” Joms Salvador, Secretary General of GABRIELA Women’s Alliance.

IDEVAW marks the day, 25 November 1960, when the US supported military dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo of the Dominican Republic ordered the violent assassination of the three Mirabal sisters who opposed martial rule. The GABRIELA leader said that IDEVAW serves as an occasion to never forget the lessons of history of fascism and plunder by authoritarian regimes such as the Marcos dictatorship.

“Never forget that Marcos declared martial law according to US global design of suppressing people’s resistance against plunder of resources of colonies and neocolonies. The US fully supported Marcos in unleashing a reign of terror so it could impose an import-dependent and export-oriented Philippine economy, which succeeding regimes then sustained,” Salvador said.

Protests are planned across the country and even in Filipino communities overseas to commemorate IDEVAW and to show women’s indignation over the revision of Marcos’ bloody legacy. In Metro Manila, GABRIELA will hold a “Women’s Unity Action to End Abuse of Women and the Motherland” in Quezon Memorial Circle. “On November 25, we urge every freedom loving Filipino who are apalled by this bastardization of history to wear black ribbons over purple and pink shirts to show our unity and collective rage as a people,” Salvador added. ###